Biology Lessons
by pixie-tail
Summary: Raven was never supposed to grow up. But she survived, and now she has to deal with the problems of growing up as a half-demon. She thinks she's one of a kind, but is there really no one who can help her? And it really doesn't help that Beast Boy's swanning around in a new body... Azar, why does demon biology have to be so complicated?
1. Chapter 1

Sup? I own nothing.

Chapter 1

Beast Boy stood in front of his mirror, glaring at his reflection. God, he looked ridiculous. The green skin, fangs and pointed ears he could deal with (mostly because the ears were total chick magnets), but the one thing he really hated about his body, was his body. Turning away from the mirror, Beast Boy sighed. Over the two years the Teen Titans had been together, he had watched as everyone around him grew up.

Robin had shot up, and would have been several inches taller than Starfire by now if her Tamaranian genes hadn't given her a slight advantage. Without her platform boots, the beautiful alien girl came up to just over Robin's eye level. The two had also grown out the way too, Robin beginning to pack some serious muscle weight, and Star's curves filling in, resulting in even more boys drooling over her in recent years. Raven had also grown up, but she had changed in ways that were slightly more subtle. Most of it was emotional for her, but she definitely didn't have that hourglass figure a few years ago. Even Cyborg had installed a few updates over the years!

But Beast Boy had remained exactly the same.

His shape shifting DNA messed with his genes as he got older, his growth slowly stunted as his animal senses heightened through puberty. At the ripe old age of 16, he noticed he had completely stopped growing. He no longer needed to cut his nails, his hair didn't grow, and he hadn't even started shaving, never mind stopped! He was still several inches shorter than Raven, and was just as skinny as he'd been when he joined the Titans at 14. In two years, Beast Boy had hardly grown three inches, or matured in any physical way what-so-ever. Any noticeable way, anyway.

With a sigh, Beast Boy turned away from the mirror. He knew what he had to do. His animal instincts were screaming the answer at him. Pulling his uniform over his head, Beast Boy left his room to find Robin.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean you're leaving?!" Cyborgs yell echoed through the Tower, his words punctured by Starfire's uncontrolled sobs.

Robin had called a meeting as soon as Beast Boy had explained his situation. He needed to leave as soon as possible, before he became a liability to the team. No one fully understood Beast Boy's powers, so taking any risks with them could potentially be very dangerous.

"Sorry Cy, but this is something I need to do. I can't stay like this forever!" The half-robot looked hurt, and Beast Boy sighed. He really didn't want to leave the Titans on bad terms. "I'm sorry, but you guys can't understand what it's like when hundreds of different animals all grow up in one body. This isn't something I can put you guys through." His face darkened. "You all remember what happened when the Beast came for his first visit."

Raven's stoic mask slipped for a fraction of a second, memories of the Beast carrying her through the sewers of Jump City flooding back to her. Although he never hurt her, rather protected her, she remembered the fear she felt in his presence. There was nothing of Garfield Logan left in that body when the Beast took over. You couldn't reason with him, you couldn't control him. Azar only knows what would happen if he were to surface, and Beast Boy couldn't claw back control.

"I've already approved Beast Boy's decision. Kid Flash and Jinx will be covering for him." The Titan's leader spoke with authority, but a small frown tugged at his mouth. A sharp burst of sorrow emanated from him, before he remembered the empath in the room and stopped himself. But Raven barely registered his momentary loss of control. Starfire's unbridled emotions were difficult to deal with at the best of times, but right now… Raven was surprised she was still standing. Cyborgs anger and worry didn't help her oncoming migraine either.

They were all going to miss that little green slime ball.

* * *

Up on the roof, the Titans said their goodbyes to Beast Boy one by one. A professional goodbye from Robin, a heartfelt word from Cy, and a bone-crushing bear hug from Starfire later, Raven stood before him. Beast Boy stuttered awkwardly, trying to fill the silence left by the half-demoness.

"Look, I know, uh, that is, well, we've been friends for, uh, y'know, and I just…" Beast Boy broke off with a sigh. He couldn't leave Raven without saying anything, damn it.

"I know you're not great with emotions and all just yet, so I get that you might not wanna give me a hug or anything, but uh…" He looked up at Raven, his face determined. "You're one of the coolest people I've ever met Raven. You mean a lot to me." Beast Boy turned towards the edge of the roof. Behind him, Raven slowly lifted her hood, her internal conflict clearly etched on her usually blank features.

"Beast Boy," Turning from the edge, Beast Boy was surprised to find himself enveloped in Ravens arms. Quickly recovering, he wrapped his arms around the taller girl. He didn't want to miss his opportunity. A hug from Raven was the best possible leaving gift he could wish for.

"We'll miss you Garfield," her gravelly voice in his ear made him smile softly; two years, several near-death experiences, and an apocalypse later and her voice still sent shivers shooting down his spine. "All of us. Come home soon." Her lips brushed softly against his cheek just once, and she was gone.

Stepping backwards until he was on the very edge of the roof, Beast Boy regarded his team mates. He raised his arm in a salute, flashed his cheeky fanged grin, and took one last step back.

Seconds later, a green hawk rose gracefully into the sky, circled the roof once, and then let out a loud cry as it flew west, its silhouette fading to a dot against the setting sun.

* * *

A few hours later, and Starfire had finally stopped crying. As much as she would miss Beast Boy, she had other things to worry about. There was a city to protect, after all. She was in the middle of preparing a face mask to reduce the horrible puffy eyes she would be sure to have tomorrow morning, when there was a small knock on her door.

"Enter," Starfire said in an unusual monotone voice, not looking up from her work. Behind her, Raven allowed the door to slide closed, biting at her lower lip.

"I need your help."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a wee review letting me know what you think so far!

Love,

Pixie xo


	2. Chapter 2

I own literally fuck all.

Chapter Two

"_Enter," Starfire said in an unusual monotone voice, not looking up from her work. Behind her, Raven allowed the door to slide closed behind her, biting at her lower lip._

"_I need your help."_

_Starfire looked up at Raven, the only other girl on the team. They didn't have very much in common, but they were a team, a family. They needed to be able to depend on each other more than ever now._

"_Anything, friend Raven," Starfire gave a muted version of her normal beaming smile. "Would you care for the face mask? It will be most relaxing and therapeutic after this rather tiring of days."_

_Raven shook her head, studying the floor. "Not today Starfire. I have an issue I'm having trouble dealing with, and I think you're the best one to help me." Starfire's brow creased momentarily, but it soon cleared as realisation dawned._

"_This is regarding your feelings for friend Beast Boy, is it not?" Raven's head shot up, her short violet bob bouncing slightly._

"_How did you…"_

_Starfire laughed quietly. "Raven, we are the closest friends, are we not?" Raven nodded. "Then should it not be obvious that I can detect your immediate change in demeanour when the friend Beast Boy is present?" Raven chewed at her lip again. Feelings were not the easiest thing to deal with for her. For the first fifteen years of her life she had to keep them contained, controlled. But this new feeling, this emotion… it could not be contained._

_Sensing her friends worry, Starfire floated across the room to where the empath sat on the bed, nervously stroking the pink bed covers._

"_Friend Raven, do not fret. I understand your concerns. I am aware that expressing emotions remains to be most difficult for you. I will assist you in every way I can." Taking Raven's hands into her own, Starfire looked directly into her closest friends eyes, where she saw the tiniest spark of hope. "Us girls must be sticking together, friend Raven. You are truly more of a sister to me than Blackfire has ever been. I will be honoured to assist you."_

_For the first time since Beast Boy had left earlier that day, Raven smiled._

"Titans, go!"

Teens no longer, the four super heroes leapt into action.

Almost one year had passed since Beast Boy had left to rediscover himself. Eleven months and 24 days actually, not that Raven was counting or anything. The demoness scrunched her nose in distaste at her clinginess. That green goofball had been in her mind more than ever over the past few weeks. Maybe because this was the first of her birthdays he had missed since… well, that apocalypse she almost caused.

"Raven, focus!" Jolted from her thoughts, Raven swooped down from her position hovering above the battlefield to blast See-More with a beam of black energy. The Hive Five were still struggling along, rather pathetically now that Jinx had dropped them like the scumbags they were. Although they were persistent, Raven had to give them that. Even after Jinx herself put them behind bars, for what everyone thought was the last time, they busted out again, back to their old tricks. All except Kydd Wykyd. He'd just… disappeared. After the breakout, he was nowhere to be found. No alerts, no sightings, no reports, nothing. And good riddance, thought Raven as she dodged an eyeblast from See-More's biogenetically engineered eye, a sneering grin on his face below it.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The dark energy swept See-More off his feet and into a nearby dumpster. Raven quickly sealed it with a flick of her wrist, locking the criminal inside. She had barely lifted a finger during their little fight. Her powers grew stronger every day. Today especially, she could feel the hum of magic in her veins, pumping through her body. Today was her eighteenth birthday, and Azar, she felt good! But hidden in the corner of her mind, there was a tiny little part of her saying it just wasn't right without him.

Beast Boy.

See-More incapacitated for now, Raven turned her attention to observing her team mates. Jinx and Kid Flash were on a mission in the highlands of Scotland, leaving the original titans, minus one green shapeshifter, to watch over the city. Robin, or rather Nightwing now, was facing off against Mammoth, lodging bird-a-rangs in the giant's back. With a roar Mammoth shook them off, only for them to explode at his feet. With a grunt and a huge thump, Mammoth hit the pavement, knocked over by the force of the surprise explosions.

Meanwhile, Cyborg and Gizmo were facing off. Gizmo had produced an arsenal of weapons from his versatile jet-pack. Currently there were two different types of laser gun, six heat-seeking missiles, a machine gun and a chainsaw were pointed in Cyborgs direction. Gizmo couldn't have been any older than 14 by now, but he was clearly enjoying this, a smug grin on his boyish face. It was quickly wiped off as Cyborg quickly produced a rather small gun, and aimed it at the child genius' jet-pack. Before Gizmo could pull one of his many triggers, Cyborg had launched a tiny missile, which hit its target, blowing up Gizmo's jet-pack and sending him spiralling to the floor, a string of immature insults streaming from his mouth. Raven winced. His language had certainly got a lot more colourful recently.

Speaking of colourful, a green, orange and pink blur shot past Raven, aiming for the small crowd of Billy Numerous clones congregating on the street. With a decidedly feminine battle cry, Starfire wasted no time in blasting the clones to cinders. A wry smile graced Raven's lips as she watched the crowd of thieves attempt to escape the alien princess' wrath, to no avail. The clones were falling left, right and centre, the loot they carried hitting the floor with soft thumps. Raven and Starfire had been getting closer over the past year, and Raven couldn't help but feel proud watching her best friend effortlessly take down the petty criminal.

As she watched, she noticed a rogue Billy clone sneak up behind Starfire, a pipe in his raised hand. Shooting out a hand, Raven brought a heavy black fist down on his head, knocking him out. Something Starfire had said a while ago came to Raven's mind.

"_Us girls must be sticking together, friend Raven. You are truly more of a sister to me than Blackfire has ever been."_

That had been the night that Beast Boy had… oh Azar, Raven, you're in the middle of a battle!

Shaking her head, Raven dragged herself out of her memories, to observe the battle once more. It seemed as if the Hive Five, or rather, Hive Four, were all rounded up. Nightwing had secured them, standing watch with Starfire as Cyborg tapped at his wrist control panel, contacting the police. Everything seemed to be in order. But Raven couldn't shake the fact that something wasn't right…

Suddenly, a piercing cry sounded behind her, and Raven felt something barrel into her, knocking her out of the air. Raven attempted to right herself, only for something huge and white to batter her from the front. Now totally disorientated and blind, Raven surrounded herself with a shield, trying to get her bearings. The bubble Raven had created was transparent, but it cast everything seen outside of the bubble in an eerie black glow. From what Raven could see, she was under attack from two massive feathered wings.

_Angel._ Thought Raven. She quickly chanted her mantra, producing a ball of dark magic energy in her hands, and took down the shield. The energy ball flew past the wings that swept forward to pummel Raven, and hit its intended target. With a _whoomph_ Angel fell back, and Raven could see her clearly. She was a hell of a lot bigger now, that was for sure. She was no longer the wiry young girl Raven remembered freezing along with the rest of the Brotherhood of Evil, Angel now looked like a female bodybuilder. She could easily passed for an Amazonian, or even a Viking goddess, from Norse mythology. Angel still wore her silver helmet, but now a cascade of golden curls fell freely from underneath it, fanning out over her muscular back, protected by a matching silver breastplate. A blue skirt cut off above the knee, revealing muscular legs to match her defined arms. Angel's eyes glowed with a yellow fury, a painful grimace marring her pretty features.

The grimace soon turned to a snarl though, as Angel recovered from Ravens attack, and she threw herself forward. Raven met her halfway, and the two began to grapple in the air. Unable to use her hands, Raven brought up her legs to kick Angel in the stomach, but her plan failed when Angel brought her hands up to Ravens throat, attempting to throttle her. Panicking slightly, Raven hit Angel with a bolt of black energy from her chakra, but that only seemed to make her even more mad.

"_Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" _Raven managed to choke out, and Angel was thrown off her.

"Raven!" Starfire cried, and hurried to help her friend. She was soon distracted, however, by a commotion on the ground. The Hive Five had broken out of their bindings, and had begun attacking the Titans, reinvigorated by the appearance of Angel. Raven was on her own.

Raven was throwing up small shields, trying to protect herself from Angels battering wings. They were huge, they were heavy, and they were causing some serious damage. With every blow, Raven could feel her strength, which was in abundance just a few minutes earlier, slowly drain away. How was she doing this?

"Give up, demon spawn. You may claim to be on the side of good, but I am the true servant of God!" Raven's eyes widened at Angel's words. She had always thought Angels name to be a result of her white feather wings, but if she claimed to be a true servant of God…

Angel was a blessed warrior. Or, at least, a descendant of one. A story the bible had conveniently left out, the blessed warriors came from ancient lore. They were misguided angels, who came to earth believing they were doing God's work. In reality, they caused grief and suffering wherever they went. They were still angels of God though, misguided or not, and as such they were required to fight for Heaven against the tortured souls Satan sent after them on Earth. They were fierce warriors, and they could match even the highest demons blow for blow. They could drain a demon's strength in a matter of minutes.

Raven was so distracted by this realisation, she didn't notice Angel slowly coming closer, or the small knife she had produced from her belt. A twisted grin danced across Angels face, her yellow eyes glowing brighter.

"Raven!" An unfamiliar male voice startled Raven. Too late, she realised what Angel was doing, and she screamed in agony as the knife was plunged into her side. A nasty snarl ripped from Angel's throat as she twisted the dagger, and Raven's weakened shields dropped. Wide eyed, Raven stared at Angel in disbelief. She just had time to notice the crucifix balanced on Angel's collarbone before she was ripped away from her.

Raven's vision began to cloud, and she knew she had begun to hallucinate when a pterodactyl, its wings far outspanning Angel's, began angrily tearing at the blessed warrior while she shrieked. Black edged her view as Raven fought for consciousness, one hand pressed against the wound in her side.

"Raven! Please friend, stay conscious!" Raven found herself in Starfire's arms, and she realised she had been falling. Trying to free herself, Raven tried to explain that she had to stop Angel, but the Tameranian princess pushed her gently back down. "Do not struggle, friend. You will only aggravate the wound."

Raven's last view was of Angel falling from the sky, a hawk in pursuit. "_Huh, funny_," she thought, as the black clouded her vision further, "_The last hawk I saw was Beast Boy…"_

And then all was dark.

* * *

Oh goodness gracious me, I wonder who on earth this could be?

Also I love Star and Raven as really close bffs, it's cute. Fight me.

Love,

Pixie xo


	3. Chapter 3

Introducing the new, and improved Beast Boy!

_**I don't own anything.**_

* * *

Chapter Three

Voices came to her through a cloud of confusion, muffled and distorted. The voices were _just_ too soft, too quiet for Raven to make out through the thick fog that surrounded her. Slowly, Raven realised she was in a bed. But this wasn't hers, the sheets were too thin, the smell too clinical. Straining her ears, she desperately tried to hear the words floating past her, find out what was happening. Two voices were hurried, a whispered argument. They slowly rose in volume, until a third joined, reminding them to be quiet. The higher of the first two voices faded, and the anger Raven sensed left with it.

A new voice joined the others now, unfamiliar, yet Raven felt like she knew it. It spoke in worried tones, panic ridging the edges of its words. This one was clearer than the others, piercing the fog surrounding her. A sudden moment of clarity washed over Raven, like the sun breaking through the clouds. She had been injured, she needed to meditate.

A dull ache rippled through her body, punctured by a sharp pain in her side. Raven tried to hold her hand to it, to heal herself, but she found her hand too heavy to move. Grunting slightly, Raven tried again. The voices all suddenly stopped, and then she heard it.

"Rae?"

The cotton wool Raven had been wading through disappeared. The heaviness in her limbs lifted, and Ravens eyes snapped open. Only one person had ever had the audacity and nerve to call her that and expect to get away with it. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden bright light, but she could recognise that bright green skin from miles away.

"Beast Boy?"

Except he was certainly not a boy anymore. The person that stood in front of her was not the immature child she remembered. He was no longer wearing his uniform, though she supposed he probably couldn't fit into it anymore. The black t-shirt he wore was stretched tight across his wide chest, the sleeves wrapped snugly around his large biceps. He was now easily taller than Raven, possibly taller than all except Cyborg. He had grown into a young man, Raven realised, and as she looked into his grinning face, she gulped. An exceptionally handsome young man, at that.

"Actually Rae, it's Changeling now." Raven swallowed again. His face had lost its puppy fat, the chin was squared, his cheekbones defined. A shadow of stubble dusted his chin and upper lip. Green hair fell into dark green eyes, darker than she remembered. But they still twinkled the same when he smiled, his one fang still poked out above the rest of his teeth when he grinned.

His signature cheeky grin faded into a soft absentminded smile as he walked toward the bed. His dark green eyes stared into Ravens own violet ones, and she dimly noted she was smiling too as he sat on the edge of her bed and extended a hand towards her. His huge hand cupped her face, holding her gently, as if she was a china doll that he could easily break. He probably could, Raven realised, but she wasn't scared of him. In fact, she had never felt safer.

"Garfield," she breathed, "You came back." The smile became a massive grin.

"Of course I did! You think I'd miss your eighteenth?" His voice had broken, he now spoke with a deep rumble. "If your sixteenth was anything to go by, this is bound to be awesome!"

Raven laughed, and Changelings face suddenly paled. He flinched instinctively, waiting for something to blow up. But nothing did. Changelings lifted his head, scanning the room slowly for any sign of damage. When he turned back, confusion was evident in his features.

"Rae?" He asked, "Did you just-"

"Laugh?" The empath interrupted, "Without blowing anything up?" Raven chuckled softly. "You're not the only one who's grown up, Garfield." The smile returned to Changelings face, wider than ever.

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed at Raven, and she bolted upright, hissing through her teeth. Cyborg appeared from nowhere, suddenly beside her and pushing her back onto the bed.

"Woah there Raven, you need to slow down. Do you remember what happened?"

Raven stilled, a frown crossing her face. "Yes," she mumbled "I was stabbed." Cyborg fussed around the empath, checking her vitals on the bleeping moniters above her.

"There's something else," Cyborg frowned, "You're not healing like normal." At this Changeling stiffened, and Raven could feel Starfire's dread and worry emanating from the back of the room.

"Yeah," Raven glowered darkly at the wall, remembering her fight with Angel. "I realised."

"Friend please, do you have any idea what is the matter with your healing abilities?" Starfire walked forward, not floated, Raven noted, and she realised how worried her best friend must be. Like Raven, her powers stemmed from her emotions; she couldn't fly without Boundless Joy, or shoot starbolts without Righteous Fury.

Raven sighed and forced herself to remain calm. Getting angry at herself wouldn't help anyone. "I will need to meditate and then consult my books, but I believe this is all to do with Angel's heritage." With another heavy sigh, Raven carefully dragged herself into a sitting position, acutely aware of Changelings hands suddenly hovering over her back, gently helping her up._ Azar_, she thought, _how badly must Angel have drained me if I can't even go into a healing trance?_

Raven could feel the curious gazes of her teammates boring into her. She gratefully accepted the cup of water Starfire handed her, finally able to rinse the metallic taste of blood from her mouth. She leaned back against the pillows Changeling had plumped up behind her, and couldn't help but thank whatever god had blessed her with such damn good friends.

"I believe Angel may be a blessed warrior."

"What exactly does that mean?" Nightwing's voice sounded from the doorway, causing all except Changeling to jump. His gaze never lifted from Raven's face. Breaking eye contact, Raven looked to her masked leader.

"It means we have a very serious problem." The mood in the room lowered even more, all four hero's worry spiking in Raven's chest, and she winced as the icy needles pierced her heart. Noticing her grimace, Changeling's voice now rang with authority.

"You can fill us all in later, Raven. You need to rest now." Nightwing opened his mouth, as if to disagree, but Changeling whipped round to face him and silenced him with a glare that told their leader that arguing was a very, _very_ bad idea right now. The Boy Wonder closed his mouth, setting it into a firm line.

"Fine. Raven, rest for as long as you need. Starfire will stay here in case anything happens." Nightwing directed his gaze to his alien girlfriend, who nodded in agreement and understanding. She turned away, and only Raven saw the frown that crossed her beautiful face. "Beast Boy," the masked leader continued, his demeanour similar to that of an icicle. "May I have a word with you."

It was not a question. Nightwing turned on his heel and left the room, leaving no room for argument.

Changeling rose stiffly from his seat on Raven's bed. His gaze had returned to her, worry painfully clear in his features as he backed out of the room. Raven managed a weak smile at him, but she didn't feel the slightest bit of relief from him, despite the grin he instantly responded with.

Cyborg quietly excused himself, making an excuse about getting some dinner ready. That left Raven and Starfire, both sitting quietly in contemplation.

"Are you ok Starfire?" The Tameranian princess' head jerked upwards, towards her best friend. She blinked in surprise.

"I am not the one injured, friend Raven. It is I who should be asking you the question of wellness." Raven shook her head softly.

"You know what I mean Starfire." She pointed at herself. "Empath, remember?" Raven patted the spot where Changeling had sat before. "Come on, tell me what happened this time."

Starfire rose gracefully from her seat to the side of the bed, but shook her head.

"Later friend, you must rest now."

Raven watched her best friend carefully, assessing the damage. Over the past year, Starfire and Nightwings relationship had grown and grown, to the point where they now shared a room in the Tower. Nightwing kept his room as an office, but Starfire's had been redecorated from the gaudy pinks, purples, blues, greens and oranges her room had previously been adorned in. It was now a warm caramel, a mature colour to suit not just the couple, but a newly matured Starfire. It was true that while she remained enthusiastic and bubbly, she was no longer the wide-eyed naïve alien princess, who knew nothing of Earths customs or traditions. Her new calmer persona balanced out Nightwing's intense, and often obsessive traits.

Their relationship had not been without its bumps, however. Though Starfire was no longer completely oblivious to her surroundings, she was often not entirely aware of the effect she had on most men. In truth, she never intended to flirt back, she only meant to be friendly. NIghtwing, however, wasn't very understanding of this, and was quick to fly into jealous rages. After he had finished yelling, he would sulk, staying in his office until the alarm rang, and returning straight after. This period of sulking would normally last two to three days, followed by an apology from Nightwing, whole-hearted forgiveness from Starfire, and a few hours of very, very loud make-up sex. Raven normally made sure to schedule a trip to the bookstore during that time.

"Raven," Starfire said firmly. "Rest. Immediately."

"I need my-" Wordlessly, Starfire produced a bundle of cloths, unwrapping it to reveal Raven's ornate hand mirror. Careful not to look into it, she handed the mirror to the demoness, meeting her questioning look with one of authority and slight annoyance.

"You were not awaking, nor were you entering the trance of meditation. I retrieved your hand mirror from your room, and I did not touch anything else, nor did I linger. This is not the time to be upset about the breaking of a rule in a time of emergency." Raven nodded stiffly.

_Oh well, _she thought, _at least she didn't send Nightwing. _Starfire she could cope with being in her room. Nightwing – well, his detective instincts had led to some unwanted snooping around the Tower in previous years.

_Although, we would never have known about Cyborg and Bumblebee if it weren't for his nosiness. _She thought with a wry smile.

Feeling Starfire's eyes on her Raven closed her eyes, resigning herself to meditation. Raven pulled her legs into the lotus position, centred her mind, and held the mirror up to her face. Opening her eyes, she felt the familiar swooping sensation as her soul was drawn into Nevermore.

* * *

This took longer than expected to complete and upload due to prelim examinations and my complete incompetence when it comes to higher chemistry.

Hope you enjoyed!

Love,

Pixie xo


	4. Chapter 4

I own a Raven mug, does that count?

* * *

Chapter Four

The sky was stuck in an ever-present sunset, the oranges, pinks and purples splashed across a backdrop of periwinkle blue. Lazy clouds drifted along, in no hurry to be anywhere but where they were. The low sun behind them bathed them in a soft gold light, with candyfloss pink colouring their edges. The ground below was a carpet of lush greenery, a meadow of green grass, dotted with flowers as far as the eye could see. A single tree stood on top of a hill, its branches reaching so high clouds often caught on its top-most twigs. Other branches swung low to the ground, bowing to the earth it was rooted in. A black, swirling portal opened at the base of the tree, depositing a petite woman before closing once more. Raven looked around her in mild interest, blinking rapidly to clear the dizziness.

The swooping sensation faded, leaving Raven floating in her lotus position. With a sigh of relief, Raven unfolded her legs and stretched, her mouth curving upward in a small smile at the lack of pain in her side. Her soul was but an echo of her physical body, and as such it did not feel physical pain. Emotional pain was a different story. Looking around her at the familiar landscape, Raven remembered the many hours she had spent here, finally feeling after 16 years of bottling up her emotions. As if on cue, a small cloud floated down from the sky, and began to play a memory.

"_Now friend Raven, shall we begin?"_

The present Raven watched with a sense of nostalgia as the past her stuttered and stammered her way through the story of how she was taught not to feel, not sparing her alien friend the gory details. The conclusion they came to was not the one Raven had wanted to hear.

"_I believe for you to feel the good emotions, such as love and affection, in a safe manner, then first we must deal with your negative emotions and the trauma you have experienced."_

_Raven wrinkled her nose, not understanding. "Trauma? What are you talking about?"_

_Starfire stared at Raven in disbelief. "Friend Raven, you were born in a land that was not your own. You were raised from birth by monks, who taught you to repress your emotions. These monks, and occasionally your distant mother, were the only people you had contact with until the age of fifteen, when they were all lost. Then, you came to this planet after losing the only family and home you ever had, and you were feared and misunderstood by many." Raven opened her mouth to interrupt, but was halted by Starfire's raised hand._

"_After no more than a year on this planet, your interdimensional demon father tried to use you as a portal to earth, and you had been told for so long it was inevitable, that you simply gave up and let him. But we prevailed, and the piece of him that resided in your soul was banished. After that, you were finally free to feel, but you never allowed yourself, continuing to repress your emotions, because it was the only way you knew. And throughout this all, you have never once stopped to feel sorry for yourself, not even to mourn for your mother. You put the needs of the city before your own, saving countless people, many of whom feared you and called you a monster."_

_Raven sat speechless, staring in shock at the alien before her._

"_Friend Raven, you need to have the good long cry."_

The present Raven waved her hand, dispersing the memory, and revealed a small girl, clad in pink, her hands clasped behind her back. The girl stared determinedly at her feet.

"Yeah," Happiness said softly, "The next few weeks kinda blew. I had no idea one person could cry that much."

Feeling sorry for the normally peppy emoticlone, Raven tried to cheer her up.

"Yes, they did. But after that, things got a lot better."

At that, Happiness visibly perked up. Her head lifted, and her hood fell to reveal wide eyes and a huge grin. "Oh yeah, going over all those cute memories of us and Beast B- er, sorry, Changeling now. I'm gonna have to get used to that!" Raven chuckled at her clone as she skipped off, floating longer than gravity normally allowed between each skip.

"Speaking of Changeling," Happiness stopped mid-skip, pirouetting in the air to face Raven again. Raven had a split second to clamp her hands over her ears before Happiness outright _screeched_, clasping her hands together and bouncing violently.

"HE'S BACK HE'S BACK HE'S BACK HE'S BACK HE'S BAAAAACK! And he's _hot!_ Like where the heck was he hiding that body all these years?! Oh my gosh, you saw his fang right? Don't lie to me, I know you dig it! Oh sweet Azar, his _arms,_ Rae Rae!"

Happiness twirled in the air as she babbled, holding her heart and swooning dramatically. Raven coughed slightly, and Happiness halted, turning to face her double once more.

"Er, sorry," Happiness laughed nervously, "I'm just glad to have him back." Raven shook her head, and turned to walk away.

"I'm going to speak to Knowledge, would you like to come?" Raven knew how the pink emoticlone loved being social, but Happiness shook her head.

"Actually Rae, Knowledge already called a meeting. She sent me to get you. Guess I got kinda distracted!" Happiness flew over to Raven, grabbing her by the hand. "Come on, everybody's waiting!"

Instantly, the landscape changed. Rolling hills and sunset skies gave way to polished wooden floors and high, arching ceilings. Books covered every surface – stacked on tables, filling unending shelves, piled on the floor and scattered over comfortable over-stuffed armchairs gathered around a roaring fire. At present, they stood empty before the marble fireplace, but Raven knew she would usually find her yellow-cloaked emotion curled with a large, leather-bound volume, filling it with knowledge and information she had gathered.

"Ah, Raven. Glad you could join us."

Raven turned to the middle of the room, to find a huge wooden table, and all of her emoticlones, spare Happiness, seated around it. Each wore a different coloured cloak, representing a different facet of Raven's emotions. A chair stood empty at the head of the table, between yellow – Knowledge, and purple – Passion. Happiness dropped Raven's hand, and flew to a chair at the middle of the table, flashing a reassuring smile to Timidity opposite her. Timidity did not return the smile, and sank lower into her seat, pulling her grey cloak tighter around her.

Knowledge stood, clearing her throat to gain the attention of the table. It wasn't necessary. Every eye at the table was directed at Raven from the moment she appeared in the room. Even Timidity, who normally found eye contact to be completely terrifying, had been watching from the shadow of her hood, careful not to stare too long.

"We are here," Knowledge spoke clearly, "to address some very serious concerns. Today is our eighteenth birthday,"

"Happy birthday to us!" Happiness interrupted chirpily, before she was silenced by a brief glare from most at the table.

"And as we all know," Knowledge continued, unfazed, "due to our heritage, this has some rather complicated and… delicate connotations."

"You mean we're gonna get horny as fuck." Rude interrupted around a mouthful of chips, belching loudly before kicking up her feet on the table. Passion giggled, and raised her glass of red wine in agreement.

"Not very eloquently put, my dear, but yes, true. We've become sexually mature, and it seems _someone_ has shown up just in time for the party."

Happiness giggled, bouncing in her chair. "You mean BB? Or Changeling, whatever. Doesn't he look great?" She sighed dreamily, slouching back in her chair. There were various murmurs of agreement around the table, and Passion purred contentedly.

"B-but we don't even know if he likes us…" A small voice spoke from the shadow of her cloak, and the table turned to look at Timidity in shock. The grey emoticlone squeaked and sunk back into her chair, hiding behind her hands.

"She has a point. We have no idea if Changeling would be willing to… fornicate with us." Rude snorted at Raven's choice of words, and the empath shot her a glare. "And anyway, who the hell said we'd be fornicating with anyone for that matter?" Passion pouted, Rude groaned loudly, and Brave slammed her sword on the table in frustration.

"Not this again Rae. We learned our lesson about repressing emotions. Or have you forgotten the weeks we spent in the containment chamber screaming, crying, destroying anything we could get our hands on?" Brave stood up, slammed her hands on the table and leaned forward, addressing the table at large. "I will not be supressed again, do you hear me?"

And just like that, pandemonium erupted. Emotions were up from their seats in an instant, all yelling and screaming at each other, trying to gain dominance. Timidity started hyperventilating, Happiness trying to comfort her. Brave was currently throttling Rude, and Passion was engaged in a full out brawl with Knowledge. Raven sank into her seat, massaging her temples. This was going to be a _long_ meeting.

* * *

Nightwing stalked into his office, arms crossed across his chest. Changeling followed at a slower pace, his thoughts still on the empath he had left in the medical wing. His hands curled into fists as he thought back to how tired and pained she'd looked. He'd often thought of his return while he'd been away, going through hundreds of different scenarios for how he'd greet each Titan. None of them had involved saving a seriously injured Raven from a rabid Angel, or losing control and attacking said villain. The Hive Five had got away, but not without a few wounds of their own.

"Garfield." Nightwing finally spoke after their silent walk to his office.

"Richard." Changeling replied shortly, mimicking the masked leader's stance.

The two stood, silently weighing each other up. Changeling could feel the tension growing in the air, and he knew exactly what it was about. There could not be two alpha males in a pack, and what Changeling had demonstrated back in the medical wing was a clear challenge, one that Nightwing had clearly not taken kindly to. In the wild, this would be settled in a duel between the two competitors, often to the death. Winner take all.

It was Nightwing who broke the stalemate, thrusting his open hand forward.

Changeling shook the hand he offered with a grin. "It's good to have you back buddy." Nightwing finally cracked a smile, and relief flooded through Changeling.

"It's good to be back, Dick." Changeling shook his head softly, almost disbelievingly. How could he have thought Nightwing would want to fight him?

Perhaps he'd spent a little too long in the wild. Adjusting to normal life would be more difficult than Changeling had expected.

* * *

I really should be studying… ah well. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Remember to leave a wee review to let me know what you think so far!

Love,

Pixie xo


	5. Chapter 5

AN: *deep sigh* hi.

I'm sorry this took so long to update, but I have a life outside of fanfiction, which includes UCAS applications, university open days and a part time job. Sorry!

To avoid any confusion, yes I have deleted all my previous stories. Sorry to any Gwuncan Tail fans (if there were any lol) but I'm sure you can understand why I had to remove those monstrosities from existence.

Another thing – new pen name! pixie-tail at your service!

Get it? Like the anime ahahahahaha im such a loser.

And so, without further ado, enjoy the newest chapter of a story I'm actually reasonably proud of so far!

* * *

The automatic door slid open with a soft hiss, and Changeling stepped back into the medical wing. The room was a quiet expanse of white curtains, gently bleeping moniters, and soft snores. It was a peaceful, relaxing room fully stocked with everything, from machines that were highly advanced breakthroughs in biomedical engineering science, to aspirin tablets.

And empty beds.

"Starfire!" The alien princess started awake, jumping from the chair she had curled up in. "Raven's gone!"

Panic had settled in Changeling's chest, heavy in his throat. Had Raven been taken? Had Angel snuck in and kidnapped her?! Before the shape-shifter could yell again, Starfire placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head.

"Friend Changeling, Raven is not missing." Starfire spoke calmly, firmly, her diplomatic side shining through.

"Then where-"

"Friend Raven is in Nevermore." Starfire cut Changeling off quickly, gesturing to the mirror on the bed Raven had previously been in.

"Oh." Changeling felt stupid for not noticing earlier. "Heh, my bad! I'm just worried about her, y'know?" The green hero rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Starfire stifled a yawn in response, and Changeling immediately felt guilty for waking her. He tried to make up for his blunder. "Hey, Star, why don't you go get some rest? I can stay here with Raven."

The alien princess shook her head, and attempted to argue with Changeling, when another yawn escaped from her lips. With a sleepy smile, she looked up at her once short teammate.

"Perhaps that is a wise idea. It is much appreciated." Starfire turned to leave, but stopped when she reached Changeling. Without warning, she wrapped the green hero in a bone-crushing bear hug.

"We have missed you, friend Garfield."

Trying his best to suck oxygen into his rapidly collapsing lungs, Changeling just managed to choke out a reply. "I missed you guys too, Star. It's good to be back." With a nod, Starfire released him, and he gratefully sucked in lungfuls of air. She continued on her way to the door, stopping once more as she reached the exit.

"Raven, in particular, was anxious for you to return."

At that Changeling's face turned a darker green, and he turned around to stutter a reply, only to find the doorway empty, Starfire's laughter echoing from the hall.

With Starfire's parting words twisting in his mind, Changeling turned his attention to the bed currently occupied by Raven's hand mirror. Taking a seat next to the neatly made bed, he let his thoughts wander down the same path they'd naturally followed for the last few months, the one with a massive sign post labelled "RAVEN".

It was true Changeling had had a crush on the half-demon for some time now, pretty much since he first met her. The adventures they had shared together had brought them closer over time, until Changeling was sure he was never going to be anything other than a friend to Raven. The dark girl was always so careful and guarded about her emotions, and so Changeling had eventually learned not to push his luck and accept what he was given. And if Raven was never going to give him anything other than friendship, then he was fine with that. Happy with it, even.

Well, maybe not quite.

But if she was happy, then so was he.

Actually, for the brief moment he'd seen her earlier, it seemed as if she was. Happy. Visibly, audibly happy. She even laughed, for god's sake. And nothing blew up! Nothing smashed, cracked, shattered, imploded, the world didn't end, the Tower was still standing and nothing was damaged – except Changeling's heart, which had thrown itself so violently against his chest it was now aching inside of him. He swore the damn thing missed a beat when she smiled at him, laughed with him.

He groaned, throwing his head into his hands.

"Damn it Raven," Changeling murmured, "What are you doing to me?"

It was at this point a familiar scent drifted to him. One of vanilla, paper and ink, and something deeper, something inhuman. Something that had his immediate attention.

Changeling's head snapped up, his eyes fixing on the face that had been haunting his thoughts for months. He immediately began to search her for injuries, his eyes scanning up and down her body. He noted with surprise that she'd healed.

"Entering Nevermore is essentially a higher form of meditation," Raven began, sensing his confusion. "Therefore, if necessary, it can double as a healing trance."

Changeling nodded in understanding, but continued to search her with his eyes.

Her hair fell to her chin, longer at the front, shorter at the back, and he felt a surge of satisfaction that she'd kept her hair in the same style. He remembered once telling her he liked her unusual cut, and she had blushed almost imperceptibly. Changeling felt his ego inflate slightly at the memory.

Her face had matured, but the pointed chin, arched eyebrows and high cheekbones still reminded him of an elf. Her wide eyes were the dark violet he remembered, her eyelashes long enough to fan an ancient Egyptian queen. Her lips were fuller, he noticed, a definite pout to them now.

Changeling had to supress a growl as his eyes travelled further down Raven's body. Her uniform clung tighter to her curves than he remembered – or perhaps it was the curves themselves he didn't remember. Without her cloak, the empath's leotard left her body temptingly uncovered. The fabric stretched tight across her breasts, wrapped around her tiny waist before ending suddenly at the top of her legs, just below where her hips flared out, leaving inches and inches of flawless pale grey skin on show.

Did Raven look this good before he left? Changeling couldn't remember ever being this distracted by her – not even by her legs, which he had previously paid an awful lot of attention to in his adolescence.

"Changeling?"

"Mhm?"

The empath sighed.

"Garfield, you're staring."

At the sound of his name on her lips he snapped awake, dragging his eyes from her figure and shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Meeting her gaze, he chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. Raven simply sighed and shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. Kicking her legs over the edge of the bed, Raven made to stand. In an instant, Changeling too was on his feet, arms outstretched to support her. Shaking her head, Raven pushed his arms away gently.

"I'm fine Garfield, honestly." She stood up slowly, freezing when she realised that Changeling was now towering above her. Slowly, she looked up at his smirking face and blinked once, twice. Then Raven scowled, turning away from her teammate. Carefully gathering up her ornate hand mirror and wrapping it in the black cloths, she grumbled under her breath, easily audible with Changeling's advanced hearing. Glancing up at him once more, she saw his triumphant grin and glowered darkly.

"Damn it."

Changeling chuckled, following behind the new shortest member of the team as she stalked out of the medical bay.

* * *

He trailed behind her down the corridor, hands shoved in his pockets as he gazed around at his surroundings. The corridors seemed so much smaller and narrower that he remembered, but it was home. Changeling sighed happily, a grin playing on his face. Raven chuckled.

"Good to be back?"

His gaze switched to the girl in front of him, her head turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"You have no idea."

Raven froze as she felt his affection wash over her in warm, hazy waves. She hardly realised that she'd stopped dead in the middle of the hallway until Changeling bumped gently into her back. Now that, she knew he'd done on purpose. The shapeshifter had cat-like reflexes, and he wasn't that close behind her when she stopped.

But Raven found that she really didn't mind the shapeshifter's sneaky trick, especially now that he was pressing himself so carefully against her, gently placing his hands on her sides to steady her.

"Rae? You ok?" Raven could have purred as she felt his voice rumble in his chest, vibrating against her back. She leaned back against him slightly, and let out an inaudible sigh. Changeling's arms slipped around her waist, and he lowered his head to bury his face in the crook of her neck. She could feel his quiet surprise and warm affection, as she expected, but beneath that Raven could sense something darker. Curious, Raven closed her eyes, focusing in on the emotion in order to figure out what it was. She regretted it almost as soon as she began.

It was dark, hot, undeniable lust. It burned like the embers of a fire, nestled in his very core. It had the power to consume him, to devour Changeling whole if he let it. Raven knew that flame well; it resided in her own soul, the same as his.

With a gasp, Raven's eyes shot open, and she tore herself away from Changeling's arms. She didn't look at his face – she couldn't – but she could feel his confusion, embarrassment, and – Azar, _amusement_? This was funny to him? His low chuckle confirmed the empath's suspicions.

"Sorry Rae," he murmured, "I didn't mean to upset you… I just missed you."

Raven was suddenly very aware of the fact that she wasn't wearing her cloak, and had no way of hiding her furious blush.

_Azar, Raven, get it together! Deep breaths, deep breaths…_

The lightbulb above them shattered.

_Damn it!_ _Ok, escape plan! Distract Changeling, then run._

"Uh, Raven? Are you-"

"We're having a movie night in the common room later," Raven quickly interrupted. "I'll see you there."

And with that, she teleported out of the corridor, leaving behind one elated, if slightly confused, Changeling to replay their embrace over, and over again in his memory.

* * *

Here, have some fluff, angst, and horny teenagers.

Feel free to let me know what you think, leave a review, send me death threats, whatever you feel like.

Love,

Pixie xo


	6. Chapter 6

Happy belated New Year!

First of all, let me just say how overwhelmed I am by your responses! Knowing that there are people who actually read and enjoy this story really means a lot to me! I will try and update as often as possible, but I do have a very busy schedule this year. I will be leaving school after my exams this year in May, and I won't be heading to university until September, so that gives me a whole four months to do whatever I like!

Speaking of school, I really should be doing my Modern Studies assignment which is worth 30 percent of my grade, but oh well ahahahahaha im so fucked

I own nothing!

* * *

Chapter 6

Safe within the dark confines of her room, Raven let out a frustrated groan. Dragging her hands down her face as she sank to her knees, Raven contemplated how utterly doomed she was. Changeling was, quite frankly, ridiculously attractive, and she didn't know how long she could control herself if he kept looking at her, touching her the way he was.

_Or we could just, you know, give in and fuck him?_

"Not now, Passion." Raven growled out loud. Her rogue emotion cackled in response. "We need to at least attempt to not break the nice teammate in half."

_Oh, Raven, _her inner monologue chuckled, _I really don't think that'll happen. If anything, my dear, he'll be breaking us._

"Shut up, you pathetic excuse for an emotion. You're practically just hormones, why the hell do you even have a voice?"

_Because we're a demi-demon, Raven. The physical manifestation of humanity's darkest desires and carnal sins. And he's half wild, my dear. Within him is something primal, powerful, and, as far as I can recall, rather fond of you. Sooner or later, one of you is going to crack. And I'm going to be right here with you, enjoying it every bit as much as you-_

"I said, _shut up!_"

"Raven?" The empath jolted upright at the sound of Cyborg's voice outside her door.

"Yes?" Her voice came out strangled, and Raven flushed in embarrassment.

"You okay in there?" Hearing the concern in his tone, Raven took several deep breaths before she stood to answer the door. It hissed open to reveal her self-declared big brother. His arms were crossed across his wide chest, worry lines etched into the human part of his face. Concern flooded through the open door, and Raven quickly fixed a small smile on her face. Cyborg didn't look completely convinced, but he returned the smile, and his worry diminished noticeably.

"I'm fine, Cyborg, thank you."

Her big brother nodded, looking her up and down quickly.

"Changeling found me in the common room, told me you were all healed up." He paused, his eyes hovering over her side, where she had been stabbed. He frowned again. "Took you long enough."

Raven shook her head, pressing a hand to the now-healed area. "Tell Nightwing to assemble the team in the common room. I'll explain everything then, but I want a shower first."

Cyborg nodded, and smiled apologetically. "Sure thing. But we're totally doing pizza and movies after the meeting." He grinned in response to Raven's small smile, before turning to leave. "Happy eighteenth, Raven!" He called over his metal shoulder.

Raven chuckled softly, allowing the door to slide shut. She sighed, thinking over her friends' insistence that she celebrate her birthday. It was a tradition that had started after her sixteenth birthday, where she had almost ended the world.

"_You may not like your birthday, but we're all glad you were born!"_

Since then they had celebrated every year, not in the traditional boisterous Titan way, but the Raven way. Understated, quiet, and calm. Last year they had gone out to dinner, the year before was a small party at the tower, just the five of them. This year Starfire had suggested a movie night, and Raven had jumped at the opportunity to spend her birthday lounging around and eating junk food.

Azar knew the next few months would be difficult; it may be her last chance for a bit of peace and quiet for a long, long time.

Shaking her head, Raven headed for her en-suite bathroom, running over the events of the Nevermore meeting in her head. After approximately two minutes of calm, the meeting had dissolved into an all-out brawl. The main topic of discussion had been whether or not she should act on her feelings for Changeling, no matter how many times Raven had attempted to raise the issue of Angel. Raven's body went onto autopilot, stripping and stepping into the shower as she tried to make sense of the meeting.

"_Can we all just agree we want to screw Changeling's brains out and move on?" Rude shouted around a mouthful of cheese puffs. Happiness and Brave had pulled apart Knowledge and Passion, who were still glowering at each other following their fight._

"_No, we can't." Knowledge huffed and straightened her cloak, making her way back to her seat near the head of the table. Slowly, each emotion returned to their seat, quieting as they settled down. Raven rolled her eyes at her emoticlones. It wouldn't be a meeting without at least one good brawl._

"_We can't give in to our base emotions," she broke off to glare at Passion, "without serious consequences. Our powers are still far too unstable; we could seriously hurt Changeling."_

"_But what about all that progress we made!" Happiness piped up. "We've been able to show Affection, Happiness and even Anger without blowing anything up."_

_Knowledge frowned, and turned to the large book that had materialised in front of her._

"_This is all the information we have compiled so far on out demon genes and its effect on our powers." The yellow cloaked clone turned to a worryingly empty page. "And this," she gestured at the paragraph at the top of the page, "is what we know about how sex could affect our powers."_

_Raven leaned over and glanced at the page, before blanching and sitting back in her seat. It was written in typical Knowledge style; with clinical detachment and in excruciating detail._

"_Through masturbation," Knowledge began, ignoring the various giggles and catcalls from around the table. "We have so far discovered that sexual pleasure results in a momentarily lapse in control of our powers. Although damage was minimal, it is clear that any sexual partner may be in danger of physical harm. Research would suggest that this problem would be eliminated if the partner was also of demon descent. It is suggested that the power found in demon blood would recognise another of its kind, and the natural balance would allow the couple to mate."_

Water sprayed against the glass walls as Raven automatically washed herself. She had had so many showers while half asleep, exhausted from a battle, that she could now go through her routine without a thought. This left her mind free to wander. So, her partner had to be of demon descent. Raven couldn't think of anyone. Persons of demon decent weren't exactly common. Maybe there was a dating site… yeah, right. Sighing, Raven rinsed off quickly, hands wiping down her front, before her fingers caught on something around her neck. Looking down, Raven realised she had forgotten to remove her penny charm before getting into the shower. Absently, Raven pushed the button to stop the water, and stepped out of the shower, still playing with the penny. She remembered the day he had given this to her. That had been the worst day of her life; she had given in. But he had hope. He had faith in her.

"For luck," He had said. Raven smiled softly at the memory.

Half wild, huh? Maybe there was still a chance they could…

No, no, _no_. Changeling having animal instincts hardly equated him to a demon. Raven couldn't risk hurting him, not when she… cared about him so much.

_Azar, you are impossible!_ Passion exclaimed from Raven's head.

Frowning, Raven quickly dried off and dressed in a clean leotard. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and focus on the task at hand. She could deal with her freaky emotional instability later. Right now, she had to focus on sorting out the angel dilemma. Crossing to her bookshelf, Raven ran her finger along the worn spines, until she came across the book she was looking for. Pulling it carefully from its place, Raven examined the front cover.

"_Creatures of the Occult"_ read the front of the leather bound book. Allowing it to fall open in her palms, the pages parted to the well-worn "Demons" section. She had poured over it many times in an attempt to understand her unique biology. Several pages were dog eared, and one or two passages highlighted. Although Raven was usually one to treat books with care and love, this book had essentially become her "How To" guide on demons. She ran her fingers over a note she had added in delicate, looping script.

"Female demi-demons do not menstruate, but are similar to humans in that they suffer any and all symptoms excluding cramps and bleeding. This includes mood swings, cravings, tender breasts and insufferable horniness."

Raven frowned at the sentence. It would only get worse from here on out. At the age of eighteen, her research concluded that she would soon enter her "heat", an amplified version of the torture she already faced once every month. This heat was likely to last two weeks, and would occur every couple of months.

Shaking her head, Raven closed the book over, tucked it into her cloak, and stepped out of her room. She hadn't realised she was still subconsciously fiddling with her penny charm.

* * *

I'm back, bitches!

Reviews are welcomed!

Love,

Pixie xo


	7. Chapter 7

I'm a broke ass bitch, I don't own shit.

Except a conditional offer for my dream university! WHOOHOO!

This chapter contains material regarding a certain religion that some may find offensive. But then if you were the type of person who might get offended by someone not believing in God, then you wouldn't be reading a fanfiction about a half demon getting it on with a green shapeshifter, now, would you?

Enjoy.

Chapter 7

"Raven." Nightwing greeted the demi-demon with a sharp nod as she walked into the common room, book in hand. Raven nodded in return, quickly sweeping the room with her wide violet eyes. The whole team, excluding Kid Flash and Jinx, who were still in Scotland, was present and watching her carefully.

"I trust you're recovered now?" Raven noted the genuine concern in her leader's words, and couldn't help her small smile. While he could be an asshole at times, it was only his way of showing he cared. He meant well, really.

"Yes, thank you." Raven opened the book to the section on blessed warriors, and passed it to Nightwing. The book had very little information, barely even a page, but it was the only book she had that mentioned them at all.

"Friend Raven, we are concerned. You mentioned that Angel could be the warrior which has been blessed? What does this mean?" Star was worried, but the empath noted she looked far more rested than she had in the medical bay. Raven nodded to the book in their leader's hands, which he had already scanned and passed over to Cyborg.

"I believe that Angel is a blessed warrior. They were essentially angel soldiers, designed to fight demons. You know, the whole eternal battle of good versus evil deal." Changeling snorted at her deadpan tone as he padded over to Cyborg's side, peering over his shoulder at the well-worn book. Raven carefully avoided his gaze, choosing to stare out the window instead.

"You all heard her earlier today, about being a servant of God?" The team nodded in unison, seemingly entirely focused on the matter at hand. Raven took a deep breath before she continued; this was the complicated part.

"Well, there is no such thing. At least, not in the religious sense. As you know, demons and angels come from another dimension. Some of us believe God and Satan to be the original angel and devil, and will worship them. Others think they're just a myth. A few fanatics thought they were real beings, and may have spawned a religion or two while crossing over to this dimension. Whatever the case, the blessed angels have always believed their purpose was to fight demons in order to please God. I believe Angel is a descendant of one, and probably one of the fanatics by the way she was talking." There was a strained silence, and Raven would tell what she was saying was doing nothing to ease the concern of her teammates. She decided it was probably better to leave out the fact that if Angel had been a pure blooded blessed warrior, she could have easily killed Raven.

"Our people have been at war for centuries. As natural enemies, we're evenly matched, but we drain each other quickly. Our opposing auras clash, and feed off of each another." Raven scowled and rubbed at her previously injured side. "Which means we're able to seriously harm one another, if one can catch the other off guard."

"So if she can drain you, you can drain her, correct?" Raven turned to smile at her alien best friend.

"Yes, Star. I just need to get the hit in first next time." The relief Starfire felt washed over Raven in warm waves, and the empath audibly sighed as the tension in the room lifted.

"So, this isn't anything serious we need to worry about?" Nightwing questioned, hope evident in his tone. Raven smiled softly.

"No, it's not serious. Just another God loving fanatic versus half-demon thing." Nightwing nodded at her answer, closing over the leather bound book and handing it back to its owner.

"In that case, I say we celebrate! This is Rae's eighteenth, after all!" Changeling shot the empath a cheeky grin, and started towards her, no doubt to wrap her in some unnecessary hug and make her lose control. Raven released a breath she didn't know she was holding when Cyborg intercepted, wrapping his huge arm around Changeling's shoulders.

"And your return! Double celebration bro!" Raven didn't miss the stab of annoyance from Changeling, but it quickly melted away in favour of affection for Cyborg. She mentally thanked Azar for the metal man's obliviousness.

"I shall order the pizza," Starfire announced, floating towards the kitchen. "Friend Raven shall select the movies, and then Friend Changeling shall regale us with the thrilling tales of his travels while we await the cheesy goodness."

"Yeah, BB. You never told us what you were doing all this time." Said Cyborg. The shapeshifter shrugged and allowed himself to be steered towards the couch. Raven subtly placed herself on the other end of the couch, Cyborg between them.

"Well, uh" The normally talkative Changeling suddenly clammed up, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I kinda just… drifted. Let myself go where the wind took me, shifting as much as possible. I never really had a destination in mind, but…" Changeling trailed off. A strange look came over his face, almost as if he was pained, but before Raven could reach out to his emotions, he sighed, and his expression cleared. "I ended up home."

"At the base of the Doom Patrol?" Starfire inquired, poking her head through the kitchen doorway.

"No, Star." Changeling sighed again. "My home in Senegal."

Starfire's eyes widened and Cyborg blinked several times. Raven fought to compose her features as she noticed Nightwing, from his spot in the corner, hadn't reacted. Of course, she thought, her eyes narrowing. Changeling must have debriefed with the leader earlier.

The unease in the room was palpable, even without Raven's empathic abilities. The team were aware of Changeling's background, and they all knew his time in Africa had been traumatic to say the least. At the age of nine, Garfield Logan had been living in Senegal, where he was bitten by a monkey infected with the Sakutia virus. His parents had been researching the virus at the time, and had given him an experimental cure, which had resulted in his shape-shifting abilities. He survived the virus, but his skin remained green. Shortly after, his parents had been killed in a boating accident. Garfield had been unable to save them, and a piece of him still blamed himself for their deaths.

Senegal was a difficult subject for Changeling, and not one that the team broached often.

"That must have been difficult." Changeling's head jerked up at Raven's voice, and her heart did a strange fluttery thing at his sad smile.

"It was… oddly therapeutic." Changeling's eyes were distant. "As soon as I got there, all the animals inside me just went quiet. Like they were resting. I think… I think it was what I needed to do."

"What about the new bod?" Cyborg nudged his best friend, wiggling his eyebrows. "Last time we saw you, you were a scrawny lil string bean! You been working out on the road?"

Changeling grinned, the distant look in his eye gone as he rubbed at the back of his neck.

"When my animals went quiet, I kinda panicked. Thought I'd lost my powers. So I just started shifting into every animal I knew – turns out I hadn't lost them, they were just calm, for once. When I turned back into my human form, I sorta blacked out. When I woke up," Here he broke off, and gestured to himself. "I had grown up. 'Bout time, huh?"

"I'll say! You look good, green bean!" Changeling grinned at the praise, and Raven quickly pulled her hood over her head to hide her blush. He did, indeed, look good. Far too good.

"The pizza has been ordered, in copious amounts, and will be arriving shortly. Friend Raven, would you care to select the movie?"

"Eh, Star, aren't you forgetting something?" The alien princess frowned at her human boyfriend for a second, before understanding dawned on her face.

"Of course, the gifts!"

Raven rolled her eyes, turning to her teammates.

"I said I didn't want any-"

"We know, Friend Raven, but we decided otherwise." Starfire floated forwards, grabbing Raven by the hand and pulling her from the arm of the sofa onto the middle of it. As if on cue, her teammates all produced wrapped parcels, seemingly from thin air. All except Changeling, who flushed, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry Rae, I kinda didn't have time to pick up anything-"

"Don't worry about it," Raven cut him off. "You coming home is all I need." Changeling's eyes widened as Raven's face turned scarlet. Where had _that _come from?!

Cyborg's hoots of laugher drowned out Starfire's giggles, as Nightwing only smiled knowingly.

"A-anyway, presents?"

Dutifully, Nightwing stepped forward, a suspiciously book-shaped package in his hands.

* * *

Raven wasn't really sure how it had happened.

The pizza had arrived just as the movie had begun, and Raven had been jostled from her seat in the scramble for food. As the chaos died down, Raven found Cyborg had stolen her seat beside Starfire, and the half-demon was forced to sit beside Changeling, who was scarfing down his Vegan Supreme. She sat stiffly, hands folded in her lap, planning a swift exit once the movie finished.

However, the pizza was swiftly polished off, and this meant Changeling was no longer distracted.

It had started out as a gentle tugging on her hand, and Raven had been absorbed enough in the movie to ignore it. The next thing she knew her hand was in Changeling's lap, and he was playing with it like a kitten with yarn. He drew patterns on her palm, dragging the tips of his fingers from the inside of her wrist to the very ends of her fingers. He placed his palm against hers, the size of his hand easily out-spanning hers, and she, for some unknown, Azar-forsaken reason, linked their fingers together. It at least put an end to his infernal fidgeting.

Somehow, that handholding had evolved into Raven leaning into his side, his arm draped over her shoulders, one of his hands playing with the ends of her hair, and the other still entwined with Raven's in her lap. Raven didn't have to look at Changeling to know that he was grinning triumphantly.

It had only gotten worse from there.

The movie came to a close, and one by one, Raven's teammates abandoned her.

"My night for patrol, right? I'll see you guys in the morning." A collection of farewells followed Cyborg out the door. Starfire stood as the door closed, stretching her arms.

"Boyfriend Nightwing, it is time we struck the hay. Immediately."

"Actually babe, I was gonna-"

"No you're not." Starfire quickly cut off her boyfriend, and scooping him up into her arms she bid goodnight to Raven and Changeling, before marching smartly from the room.

At first Raven's sleep addled brain didn't recognise the danger. By the time she had realised that Starfire leaving with Nightwing was a Very Bad Thing, it was too late. The door closed behind them, and within an instant Changeling had scooped the half-demon up and deposited her on his lap. Raven flushed at the position as Changeling carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, internally cursing Starfire and her matchmaking obsession. She tried not to notice that his massive arms completely covered her middle and brushed the underside of her breasts.

"Changeling," Raven squeaked uncharacteristically, "What are you doing?"

As if in response, Changeling brought his legs up on the sofa, so he was sitting cross legged, his chest pressed to Ravens back, his arms still wrapped around her waist. She felt his warm breath puff across the back of her neck, and then his nose, nuzzling her.

"Changeling?" Raven tried again.

"Sorry Rae," she could feel his voice vibrating through his chest, his lips moving at the back of her neck. "Needed to know if you were small enough to fit in my lap. And look at that," He shuffled slightly, and Raven tried really hard not to think about where her butt was brushing against, "You are." He breathed.

"Changeling, I-"

"Garfield." Raven blinked.

"Please, call me Garfield. I mean like, when it's just us, if you like- that's if, you know- um, lemme start again, I-," Raven rolled her eyes. Something's never changed.

"Garfield."

The shape-shifter sighed. Raven felt his relief pour off him like it was her own, and suddenly felt more comfortable.

"Raven?" His arms were still tight around her waist, but she found instead of feeling trapped in his embrace, Raven felt… safe. She knew she had feelings for him, knew she had felt that way for a while, but she didn't know if he felt the same way, or if he was just… horny.

"What are we doing?" A silence followed her words, as if he wasn't sure himself.

"We're cuddling." He decided eventually. "It's what people do when they like each other. They cuddle to show affection." Raven could feel her heart in her throat.

"And do we?"

"Do we what?" He nuzzled at her neck again.

"Like each other?"

Changeling froze. Raven sat perfectly still in his lap, his arms still around her, berating herself for speaking in the first place. When the guy you like drags you onto his lap and cuddles you, you don't question him. She felt his arms begin to withdraw, and opened her mouth to apologise. Before she could say a word, however, Changeling's large hands had clamped down on her hips and were lifting her up. Raven blinked as she found herself suddenly facing the shape shifter, her legs either side of his, effectively straddling him. She flushed at the position, at his warm hand on her bare thigh, at the fact that he could now pick her up and move her around with practically no effort on his part; at the fact that it seriously turned her on.

_Oh, Azar._

Raven focused her gaze on his collar bone, in an attempt to avoid Changeling's eyes and her own thoughts, which were rapidly straying into dark territories, like how he'd react if she bit down on said collar bone – _Azar, look somewhere else! _She told herself.

"Rae?"

Raven didn't answer, her mouth pressed shut, her eyes trained on her clasped hands.

"Raven, look at me."

Grudgingly, Raven did so, and found herself locked in his gaze, like a rabbit in the headlights.

"You really think we don't like each other?"

She couldn't speak, couldn't look away from the man that she absolutely most definitely did like.

"Ok." He said. "Fine."

"Garfield I-"

"If you don't like me," he interrupted, "stop me." And then he was leaning forward, his head tilting, his eyes still gazing at her from under half-shut eyelids, and Raven was powerless to stop him, powerless to stop herself leaning in and letting her lips part ever so slightly-

"Heyooo, guess who's back- woah, what?!"

Raven's eyes flew open and she ripped herself from Changeling's grip, flying backwards away from him. A surprised Kid Flash stood with Jinx still on his back, both of them staring open mouthed at the scene they had interrupted. Kid Flash's head blurred as he looked back and forth between Raven and Changeling, before he finally stopped on the green shapeshifter.

"Beast Boy?!"

Without hesitating, Raven produced a portal to her room, and disappeared.

* * *

If you're leaving a review, let me give you some advice.

"OMG, PLS UPDATE SOONER!1 UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!1!1!" and comments of a similar nature do absolutely nothing to motivate me or speed up the writing process. If you like the story, good, I'm glad. But please don't try to tell me what to do. I have a really busy personal life, and this is a hobby. I am not obligated to upload frequently or even at all.

That being said, I do love to hear what you guys think of the story. Just find a way to articulate yourselves other than instructing me to upload quicker. It ain't gonna work.

Love,

Pixie xo


End file.
